Whiplash & Neck Injury Settlement Amounts
Head, neck, and back injuries are unfortunately all too common in car accidents throughout Arizona. These types of injuries can cause a wide range of effects, ranging from mild sprains to broken bones that can result in lifelong impairment or death. After suffering a neck injury in a rear-end accident, you may not know what your options are.
If you are suffering from whiplash or another neck injury due to the negligence of someone else, do not hesitate to contact our personal injury attorney in Phoenix today. Our lawyer has extensive experience with lawsuits concerning these injuries nationwide and is prepared to fight for your right to justice and compensation. Reach out now or fill out an online form on our website – don’t wait any longer!
Understanding Mechanism Of Injury
To understand the severity of your neck injury, medical professionals need to observe what happened during the traumatic event that led to it. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a clear explanation for how this mechanism of injury occurred, jurors may not comprehend why exactly you deserve compensation. This could significantly impact your chances of obtaining an adequate settlement amount for any resulting damages or losses.
If a lawyer is not well-versed in medical knowledge, their ability to adequately advocate for the gravity of their client’s injuries will be impaired. This can lead to an unsuccessful case outcome and decreased possibility of receiving generous compensation through a settlement. The more serious your neck trauma may be, the greater its negative impacts become on you as well as your likelihood of success in court proceedings. To provide insight into potential repercussions from auto accident-related events, here are three commonly occurring types of neck traumas:
- Cervical vertebrae fractures, as well as damage or rupture to the ligaments and soft tissue connecting them
- Spinal cord or disc damage caused by shearing and bending between the cervical vertebrae, physical stretching of the spinal cord, or direct impingement by fractured vertebrae
- Damage to soft tissues surrounding the trachea, larynx, and esophagus as well as major arteries and veins in both the head and brain
Hyperextension
A hyperextension-induced neck injury can cause lasting harm to the fragile tissues of your neck, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. This may not be life-threatening, but it could lead to permanent disability which should absolutely warrant a compensation request. If you know what kind of force caused this damage (such as a direct impact from an accident), this knowledge can serve as scientific proof for your medical claim.
Hyperextension injuries generally lead to vertebrae or spine displacement, but in some rare cases can cause full dislocation. Thankfully, this is more easily diagnosed via an x-ray or Institute of insurance image – this evidence will be incredibly useful if you’re making a whiplash compensation claim following a car accident.
Compression-Flexion
In the event of a rear-end or t-bone collision, when the head is bent forward it can often lead to vertebrae wedge and burst fractures. Moreover, spine dislocations are also a frequent side effect due to this violent motion which causes necks to snap quickly forward and then backward towards the headrest or away from it. As such, most neck injuries experienced in car accidents consist of flexion-extension injuries as well.
Compression-Extension
When the face absorbs an impact when the head is in a neutral or bent position, this can result in fractures of spinal processes and damaging load-bearing surfaces, with potential spine dislocations.
Tension-Extension
When the body experiences a sudden thrust, head acceleration can occur through the neck. This is called tension extension, and it happens to passengers who are seated in rear-facing seats that don’t have or lack an effective headrest.
Common Neck Injuries Caused In Car Accidents
While minor injuries, such as scrapes or bruises that don’t cause lasting pain or harm, often have the ability to self-heal, car accidents are too frequently responsible for a more serious neck damage. Examples of these include whiplash, fractured vertebrae, and spinal cord injury. Severe damage from a crash necessitates extensive medical attention and an extended recovery period.
- Muscle or tendon strains
- Whiplash injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Short-term memory loss
- Headaches
- Concussion
Although these minor injuries may be quite painful and could necessitate medical attention, they will usually subside eventually. It is nonetheless prudent to seek out proper medical care right away after any injury occurs – particularly brain-related traumas like concussions that might become exacerbated if left untreated over time.
- Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or
- Whiplash